Objective: To explore the effect of Coridius Decoction on penile erection hardness, IIEF-5 scores and the testosterone level in ED patients.
Methods: We selected 120 ED patients diagnosed and treated in our hospital between July 2018 and January 2020 and, using the random number table, divided them into a control (n = 55) and an observation (n = 65), the former treated with oral sildenafil and the latter with warm Coridius Decoction in addition, both for 8 weeks and followed up for 6 months. We compared the TCM syndrome scores, clinical effects, penile erection hardness, IIEF-5 scores, testosterone (T) level and adverse reactions between the two groups of patients.
Results: The TCM syndrome score, compared with the baseline, was significantly decreased in the observation (9.81 ± 0.61 vs 17.63 ± 1.16, P < 0.05) and the control group (17.56 ± 1.23 vs 13.18 ± 0.75, P < 0.05) after treatment, even lower in the former than in the latter group (P < 0.01). The total therapeutic effectiveness rate was markedly higher in the observation group than in the control (92.31% ［60/65］ vs 80.00% ［44/55］, P < 0.05). After medication, the erection hardness score (EHS) was dramatically higher than the baseline in the observation (4.21 ± 0.55 vs 2.55 ± 0.73, P < 0.01) and the control group (3.14 ± 0.54 vs 2.61 ± 0.73, P < 0.01), and so were the IIEF-5 score (18.58 ± 5.26 vs 12.00 ± 4.68, P < 0.05 and 15.29 ± 4.70 vs 11.94 ± 5.54, P < 0.05) and the T level (［13.27 ± 4.21］ vs ［9.43 ± 4.31］ nmol/L, P < 0.05 and ［10.74 ± 4.15］ vs ［9.01 ± 4.72］ nmol/L, P < 0.05), both even higher in the former than in the latter group (P < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence rates of adverse reactions between the observation and control groups (6.15% ［4/65］ vs 3.64% ［2/55］, P = 0.834).
Conclusions: Coridius Decoction is safe and effective for the treatment of ED, which can significantly improve the clinical symptoms, increase penile erectile hardness and the T level, and repair the erectile function of the patient.
Keywords: IIEF-5; erectile dysfunction; penile erection hardness; testosterone; Coridius Decoction.